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August 2015
Energy Efficiency, Green Building & IBTs
says Bouwer. Another area where
Zest WEG Group’s Generator Set Divi-
sion’s experience comes to the fore
is its knowledge of local regulations
pertaining to different metropolitan
areas. Regulations also differ with re-
gard to the particulate levels of diesel
fuel storage and sound decibel levels
related to noise attenuation.
All equipment supplied by Zest
WEG Group’s Generator Set Division
is standard with a 12 month war-
ranty. The Group has a dedicated
service department, which offers
basic maintenance contracts that
include measures such as replacing
the generator sets’ oil and filters.
Extended or long term maintenance
contracts are also offered.
Bouwer cautions that, whilemain-
tenance is critical, companies should
take ownership of their generator
sets. “We propose to mitigate risk
and that a dedicated member of the
customer’s staff be trained through
our manufacture, test, installation
and commissioning process. This
enables the customer to be more
self-sufficient and compliments all
aspects of aftermarket support.”
Flexibility in approach to design
and engineering will ensure that
the installation is geared towards
minimising the capital cost and run-
ning expenses, whilst optimising en-
ergy output for an uninterrupted and
reliable power supply.
■
Power
solutions
The current power constraints facing South Africa and Africa have
resulted in companies being requested to cut their power consumption
by at least 10% in order to alleviate the pressure on the overburdened
transmission and distribution infrastructure.
T
his appeal will, of necessity,
result in companies seeking
alternative power sources to
accommodate the energy require-
ments shortfall.
However, Craig Bouwer, Zest WEG
Group’s Generator Set Division says
that there is an apparent lack of
understanding of the many issues
surrounding standby power. “Com-
panies are generally unaware of
how to assess the standby power
requirements of a facility or building.
By implication, this suggests that
companies are also often unaware of
what the optimal solution for a given
application should be.”
A standby power solution is an
important capex decision that needs
to be considered carefully in terms of
the company’s overall requirements.
Moreover, the supplier needs to have
the necessary technical expertise and
relevant experience to offer a custom-
ised solution. A key consideration for
a standby power solution is to under-
stand the environment in which the
generator set has to function.
Original equipment manufacturer
Zest WEG Group’s Generator Set Divi-
sion has a dedicated facility in Cape
Town and offers generator sets rang-
ing from 20 kVA units up to 250 kVA
off-the-shelf products, 300 kVA to
2 000 kVA individual customised units
as well as multiple sets to achieve
turnkey solutions in excess of 12 MVA
for large-scale applications or proj-
ects. “The type of load and the total
power drawn should bemeasured by
a qualified team from the generator
supplier prior to recommending a
particular diesel generator set. Fol-
lowing this, accurate load calcula-
tions canbe carriedout and a suitable
systemrecommended. We look at the
entire electrical infrastructure and
not just the generator set itself. In
this way we are able to recommend
the power rating of the generator set,”